The Heroes of Our Tale

Before I begin to recount the tale of my gaming group’s latest adventure, I think it is worth getting to know our eclectic cast of characters. These characters are the players creations, and how they contribute to the story we are creating. Honestly, as much as a GM does, without strong interesting characters like this, which the players really get behind, there is not anything worth reading. So, meet the characters here, and then continue reading as I tell the story we created. Enjoy!

A changeling, Morgaine’s life has been shaped by her heritage. The daughter of a sea hag and, she suspects, an elf, she was left to be found and taken in by a human family. This is the hag way. Abandoned by her birth mother, she was raised in a small fishing village in the Southern Seas. However, her mother had not expected the goodness of those who took Morgaine in. They raised her as their own, and instilled in her a sense of right and determination and when she came of age, these attributes were tested. A hag births a changeling with a plan in mind, the desire to create another hag. When Morgaine was 15, her mother summoned a coven and began to call to her, placing an ever present whisper in her daughter’s mind, telling her of her true origin and her path as her mother saw it. Yet, Morgaine knew a dark path when she heard of it, and rejected her mother with a significant conscious effort. Deciding to be a good individual, she said farewell to her parents and left her home as a sailor to discover her heritage aboard the Astrologers Albatross. Since them Morgaine has struggled to follow her choosen path, and though with the help of Captain Nerova’s crew she has faced and defeated her mother once, her mother lives, and her voice is a common presence in Morgaine’s mind.

A merfolk, Natava is a unique member of her people. She has a rare link and love for the natural environment of the Southern Seas she calls home. Natava’s link to this natural world manifests in her druidic path and powers, particularly in her close friendship with the great Archelon she playfully refers to as Archie. It also is seen in her character in a district avoidance of violence. While willing to defend herself and what she sees as right, Natava seeks to exhaust all other options in a conflict, and always seeks at worst a nonlethal solution. Despite this link to the sea, Natava is an adventurous soul. In an effort to protect her people and sea while preserving all life, she was appointed by her people as an ambassador to a fishing village that threatened her people with their activities. She successfully negotiated a treaty between the village and the merfolk of her tribe, and even was welcomed into the village. The local carpenter in fact built for her a wheel chair which she now uses whenever she has cause to leave the waters. Not that she prefers the land, but she respects the need to leave her beloved sea at times. Since then, Natava has set out to learn more of the wider world serving with the Astrologers Albatross, where the crew views her as a blessing of good luck, though she remains distant from them as a result of her often independent nature that keeps her in the sea, and out of her chair.

Cultist

Scorcerer with the Aquatic Achtype, Male, Human, Chaotic Evil.

Cultist was once a man, a sailor of the isles. Known to his crewmates aboard the Astrologers Albatross he was simply Joe. Born and raised on the coast of Gyleaon, Joe took to the sea with the Gyleaon Desert Trading Company as soon as he could. He came to the Astrologers Albatross soon after, and was an experienced and trusted sailor. That experience remains with him, however, a few months back, Joe took a long shore leave. For days the crew heard nothing of him or from him. Then, suddenly he returned, however he was changed in appearance and demeanor. Joe was gone, and Cultist had returned in his place. He made no secret of his transformation, happily telling the crew of the wonders he had experienced. He had found Dagon, the demonic prince of the sea, and now preached to his fellows of Dagon’s power and influence. This has cost him standing with many of the crew, but his faith does not waver. Intelligent and charismatic, Cultist is ever serving his dark master in his work aboard the Astrologers Albatross.

Karth
Wizard with Spellslinger Archtype, Male, Human, Lawful Neutral.

Karth is a reserved individual. A wizard of moderate talent, he trained in one of the most prestigious academies of the arcane arts in Gyleaon before his continued training and personal matters caused him to set out on his own. Now on his final test before graduating as an official wizard, Karth seeks to improve his magical abilities and feed a curiosity in firearms. Karth is rare in this, for he combines his magical talents with the use of a single flintlock pistol in combat. He boarded the Astrologers Albatross only a week before the story begins, hired on as extra security for the mission to capture Jalastar of Erryeth. An observant and careful man, Karth is still adventurous, though of his past and what drives him he is tight lipped. He often prefers to keep to himself.

Disposition: Impulsive, excitable, and proud. A strong sense of personal responsibility accompanies an unshakable belief in his own abilities, regardless of any past failures.

Takk is regarded as odd, even by other Gnomes (no small achievement in itself). Hailing from a distant northern island, Takk is a member of a Gnome community that has completely lost their connection to their fey heritage. No magic runs in their veins, and no illusions crackle at their fingertips. Rather than seeing this as a disadvantage, however, the ever-optimistic Gnomes have instead taken to technology at a pace that is both impressive and mildly terrifying to their neighbors. Harnessing a series of extremely rich ore mines and the know-how of local dwarves, these Gnomes have worked wonders of crafting and machinery the likes of which the world has never seen. Marvels of clockwork and automation are invented daily, and the (many) failed prototypes are constantly being tinkered with and improved by the nearly-obsessive Gnomes. To hear Takk speak, he was the very best of them. Until an incident he’d rather not talk about forced him to seek work elsewhere, that is.

Accompanied by his hulking aquatic construct, Rusty, Takk has set out from his home to make his name in the wider world. Utilizing a wide suite of gadgets and tools, Takk solves problems in unconventional ways, often surprising foes who underestimate his diminutive stature. Though possessing the impulsiveness and propensity for overstatement common to all Gnomes (in abundance), Takk’s enthusiasm and general friendliness has served him well in foreign lands, and people who have seen his machines at work swear they’re just as good as (or better than) magic. Though originally just a passenger on the Astrologer’s Albatross, within a day he was caught tinkering with one of the ship’s ballistae and brought before the captain. What could have been a disaster was averted when the ballista was demonstrated to be remarkably more efficient and accurate, and Takk was offered a position among the crew on the spot. He has spent the majority of his time so far below decks, constantly drafting and enacting myriad plans to improve his latest pet project: the ship itself.

Darvic Saltbeard

Monk with Drunken Master Archtype, Male, Dwarf, True Neutral.

Darvic’s past is largely a mystery, and not something he discusses much. He grew up by the sea, that much is sure. His Saltbeard name is well earned, as he knows the waters of the Southern Seas and their inhabitants well. For the most part, Darvic is willing to go where life takes him, as long as he has ale to fuel him. Years ago, that led him aboard the Astrologers Albatross, and while he left to keep travelling, when that ship puts out the call, he is always there. The ship’s crew may change, but that ship seems to hold a place in Darvic’s heart and mind.